General Homestead Update
It has been pretty quiet on the homestead. There have been no new babies born since Saturday, even though Butters the guinea pig looks like she will pop any minute. […]
Category Archives: Agronomy
Potatoes are In
I came across a site on how to grow 100 lbs of potatoes in a small amount of square footage. So, I got some 2x2s and 1x6s, and some red […]
Soil Texture Teaching Kit
I do a lot of workshops with youth on weekends (including my Citizen Science programs). Most of these workshops involve teaching about the 12 different soil textures, which are made […]
Two crop failures….
So, this year has been an awful year for Downey mildew in NC. The sorghum failed because it stopped raining, and the pumpkins were a casualty of mildew. I planted […]
Pumpkin Problems
So many weeds, squash bugs are out, vine borers are out… So, apparently, a weekly neem application isn’t enough. I spent over an hour and a half weeding one plot… […]
The Crazy Realities of Food Production
We are on the verge of starting a new citizen science program in Agronomy with the Girl Scouts. It will focus on local food and poverty, and how agriculture is […]
Pumpkin are Flowering
This week, I got the results of the nutrient probes. Some of our pumpkin plants have flowers already. I have no idea that if this is normal or not… This […]
Pumpkin Heights and Fertilization
So, on Wednesday night, Bella and I went out to fertilize pumpkins and measure their heights. Some of the plants are over a foot tall, and others are only 3 […]
Digging and Transplanting Pumpkins
So, each hole that I dug got two seeds in it. With the idea that after two full leaves have emerged, the second one gets pulled. Well, in the third […]
Germinating Pumpkins!
Well… The awesome pictures that I got from the installation of PRS nutrient probes (more on these later) and nutrient sampling with my interns Karyn and Bella went into the […]
Homesteading is Mocking Me
There has been a lot of upheaval on the homestead as of late… What with the buying of a house (long story, and no, I wasn’t breaking any city codes […]
Spotty germination…
Well, in the lower portion of my plots, there is a distinct accumulation of moisture…. Since it has been so dry, this has really helped the germination rates in this […]
Almost Ready to Plant
And Western Ag Innovations is providing us with a free sampling for fertility before planting occurs. The sweet sorghum is ready to go… And I am ready to plant. Grant […]
Groundbreaking!!!
After a several month delay due to health circumstances, the ground is finally broken on the Citizen Science Agronomy project. The sweet sorghum crop is in my hand, and will […]
Six Weeks of Crazy, and a Saturday to Forget
This week, I got my Sawzall and angle grinder, so I have been tearing up the pallets needed to construct the new quail and guinea pig cages! YAY! I also […]
Week 3 on the Urban Farmstead…
I realize that last week, I didn’t do my weekly update until like, Thursday. I was sick. I am still sick now, but at least I am moving again! I […]
Fall in Western Wisconsin: An artistic process
As spring dawns on the Southeast (FINALLY?!?), I find myself homesick for Wisconsin again. Today it was the region that I went to college (River Falls, GO FALCONS). The hills […]
Tobacco on Mars
I am a total nerd and I am not ashamed of it. As a card carrying nerd (that grew into a soil scientist), I have always wanted to be the […]
Autumn Harvest in Wisconsin
Maybe all of the crappy, winter snowy and rainy weather is making me nostalgic for my favorite time of the year. This happens to be late summer and early fall. […]
Environmental Degradation: Drought
I am in the process of writing a cover letter and resume for a Girl Scout program director position. Needless to say, it is a long, harrowing process, and I […]
DirtArtful 